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No, Peter replied.

How long do you think it might take to touch a child's vaginal area, the detective continued.

I wouldn't know, because I have never done anything like that, Peter retorted.

Despite his denials, Peter Ellis was charged with sexually abusing the five separate complainants.

He was granted bail the following day while being ordered to stay away from children and away from the creche as well as to observe a strict 7pm to 7am curfew.

That same evening of Tuesday March 31, roughly 250 current and former Christchurch Civic Race parents crowded into a church hall for another meeting about the case.

There was a heavy police presence outside the building and the city's entire child abuse unit inside, including Detective Colin Eade.

Hanging over everybody present was a heavy sense of anxiety and fear.

Parents were updated about the arrest of Peter Ellis, though investigators were cagey when asked what had actually happened, simply stating that the matter was now before the courts and couldn't be discussed.

But they assured parents that counselling was available for anyone who required it and recommended that they have their children formally interviewed.

Parents were also encouraged to go home and ask their children questions about possible abuse while not being too specific.

If a child did disclose an offence, parents should thank them for sharing, reassure them that they hadn't done anything wrong and notify DWS immediately.

Sue Sidey again listed symptoms of abuse that parents should watch out for and spoke in a very emotional fashion.

This added to the overall atmosphere of anger and panic.

Some parents began to ask questions that suggested they felt they were being lied to by the council.

One parent demanded to know if other staff members had been involved.

A four-page booklet was passed out to attendees as they left, providing them with information about child sexual abuse as well as information about counselling, medical examinations and possible compensation.

In the days that followed this meeting, roughly 60 parents phoned a specially coordinated police hotline to request videotaped interviews for their children.

It would take DSW employees and detectives several months to conduct them all, with up to five children being interviewed each day.

By the end of May 1992, police had uncovered eight new complainants, bringing the total number to thirteen.